Top 100 movies of all time: 85 - 82

Slowing down to 4 films a day so I can have my top 5 be presented on December 24th.

NR. 85:

STAR WARS
A NEW HOPE (1977)

Directed by: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hammil, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher



Luke Skywalker leaves his home planet, teams up with other rebels, and tries to save Princess Leia from the evil clutches of Darth Vader.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

It was the movie that shaped a generation and changed the way the film industry looked at the summer blockbusters, marketing, and not to mention the revolution it began in special effects. But none of this is really why Star Wars is in my top 100. Star Wars is, simply put, my childhood. When seeing it for the first time I was overwhelmed by a sprawling galaxy where anything was possible and where bigger then life heroes and villains came to life. It is a movie that opens the imagination.



NR. 84:

THE MATRIX (1999)

Directed by:Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburn and Carrie-Ann Moss



A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

If Star Wars is the movie that opens up the imagination, then The Matrix is the movie to turn it upside down and drab it in leather. The Matrix can be mirrored with Star Wars quite a bit. It was something completely new (as far as the common audience member was concerned), it boasted revolutionary special effects (bullet time) and created a rich and deep mythology. Say what you will about the sequels, but The Matrix stands as a milestone in movie history. This is the cool kid in your class who would skip 4th period to smoke behind the gym of science fiction movies.



NR. 83:

REGARDING HENRY (1991)

Directed by: Mike Nichols
Starring: Harrison Ford, Annette Bening and Michael Haley



Henry is a lawyer who survives a shooting only to find he cannot remember anything. If that weren't enough, Henry also has to recover his speech and mobility, in a life he no longer fits into.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Through his long and impressive career, Regarding Henry stands out as Harrison Ford's finest performance. It is his portrayal as Henry that makes this movie interesting to watch. More so then the actual story, which is good if not a little cliche. The movie is a study in good actors doing some of their finest work and it is truly a joy to behold.



NR. 82:

FORREST GUMP (1994)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise



Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

You don't see movies like Forrest Gump all that much (in fact I can only think of one other movie that comes close) and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. In a way its good that they are few and far between because when they do arrive they tend to capture you completely and show you something you will keep with you for a very long time. Forrest Gump is masterly told and is perhaps Tom Hank's best role to date. The movie is by no means perfect as it drags a little towards the end, but that alone is not enough to make this movie anything less then a must see. Now where did I put my chocolate...ah, there we go.

Top 100 movies of all time: 90 - 86

Lets get right to it, shall we?

NR. 90

APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall



During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Just like Francis Ford Coppola set the standard for gangster movies with The Godfather, Apocalypse Now set the standard for war movies. The focus of Apocalypse Now is not the conflict of the war, but the nature of war itself and the madness those who fight it sink into. A movie that perfectly commented on its times in a way few other movies did or have done since. And along with the Godfather, probably one of the most quoted movies on this list.



NR. 89:

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)

Directed by: John Hughes
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald



Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

John Hughes was the very best at making movies about the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. 16 candles, Ferris Bueller's day off and weird science to mention a few. But his crowning achievement must be The breakfast club. It might sound a bit sentimental; being true to yourself and trusting other people with your most guarded secrets, but it works so well that you can't help but project your own memories of high school (or even yourself)in to the movie.



NR. 88:

PULP FICTION (1994)

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis



The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Pulp Fiction is one of the few Tarantino movies I really like. It is a movie that is not afraid of playing with the medium in terms of story (try and find it), time and genre. Everything comes together so perfectly which is ironic since the movie is in its nature very chaotic. But with a stellar cast and a visionary director behind the camera, it all flows seamlessly into one cool mother f@£er of a film.



NR. 87:

ALIEN (1979)

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt



A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

In the multitude of science fiction and horror films, Alien manages to stand apart from them all by combining the two perfectly. Horror in space has since become its own sub-genre of horror and science fiction, but none of the films copying the format comes close to the brilliant execution of horror and suspense the way Alien did in 1979 and continues to do today.



NR. 86:

JAMES BOND
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach and Curd Jürgens



James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Roger Moore's third outing as secret agent 007 was by far his best. The movie had everything a Bond movie should have: beautiful women, elaborate sets and a power hungry madman plotting to destroy the world. It was the movie that introduced Jaws and the Bond universe was never the same. The spy who loved me truly shows that nobody does it better then Bond.

Top 100 movies of all time: 95 - 91

Before I start today's countdown I wish to dedicate this post to Lars Erik Bakken whom without the Paper Penguin may never have squawked again. Thank you ol' chum. You can find Lars Erik's blog at http://drammenblade.blogspot.com/

NR. 95:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2009)


Directed by: Oren Peli
Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat and Mark Fredrichs



After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100


Following in the vein of found footage films like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, Paranormal activity prays on the fact that we are most scared of what we can not see. The horror of the film is further increased by the authentic feel you get watching this "home video." These feel like real people. I would say there are two films on this list that have polarized its audience and Paranormal Activity certainly is one of them. Either you thought the movie was boring and not scary in the slightest or, like me, it managed to get into your imagination and wreak some serious havoc.



NR. 94:

TITANIC (1997)

Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Winslet and Billy Zane



Fictional romantic tale of a rich girl and poor boy who meet on the ill-fated voyage of the 'unsinkable' ship.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Titanic is, in my opinion, the ultimate love story. It is Romeo and Juliet set aboard one of the most tragic events of the time which makes it all the more potent. Not only that, but Titanic was a technical marvel showing us imagery so grand and realistic (for the time) that it simply left you breathless. You were on the Titanic. And just when you regained your breath, tragedy strikes and takes it all away again.



NR. 93:

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (LA DEN RETTE KOMME INN) (2008)

Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson and Per Ragnar



Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Let the right one in is a perfect mixture of reality and fantasy. There is no doubt that Oscar is living in the real world. He has everyday problems kids his age face and the cold harsh winter is something we Scandinavians can relate to all too well. So when Eli shows up (barefoot in the snow no less) with her pale complexion and eerie demeanor we immediately feel a sense of unease. Something has entered our normal setting, something that does not belong in our perception of reality. The movie strikes a surprisingly good balance between the sweet and the disturbing. Something other recent vampire films fails to do repeatedly.



NR. 92:

THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

Directed by: Victor Flemming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy and King Vidor
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan and Ray Bolger



Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

If you can tell your child only one fairytale, let it be this one. This is the fantasy that has it all. Lovable characters, a menacing witch, bigger then life set pieces and technicolor and will burn your eyes out. Sure it might all seem a little hokey and quaint by today's standards, but there is a reason The Wizard of Oz have only gets more and more popular as time goes on. It is a throwback to a seemingly simpler, less complicated time (which of course is not true) and lets you indulge in a sense that everything might just be all right at the end, no matter how big a problem you might face. All you need is a few good friends and a bucket of water.



NR. 91:

STAR WARS
RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)

Directed by: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hammil, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher



After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, the Rebels attempt to destroy the Second Death Star, while Luke Skywalker tries to bring his father back to the Light Side of the Force.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

It is the climactic ending to one of the greatest science fiction sagas ever told (excluding the prequels of course) and it does not hold back. From Jabba the Hutt to the Ewoks on Endor, Return of the Jedi, like its predecessors, shows its audience things they couldn't even dream of. Even more important, Jedi closes the book on the Skywalker saga with the redemption of Darth Vader and the collapse of the Empire giving the saga the bittersweet ending only an Ewok celebration can do justice.

Top 100 movies of all time: 100 - 96

Well, here we are. Its December 1st and my bottom 5 is about to be revealed. But before I start I wish to talk about the list and how it came to be.

The list is a representation of my taste in movies at this time in life. Movies I feel are just that little bit better then the rest. And let me tell you, narrowing down over 500 movies into top 100 was no easy task (and putting them in order was even harder). So this list is not meant to represent the best movies of all time, but MY top 100 of all time. I hope to do this list once a year and see how my taste shifts and changes.

Also, movies I haven't seen in a very long time is not on the list. Only movies I can remember well enough to know how I truly feel about them made the list which excluded allot of very good movies that I just haven't seen in forever.

And of course the same goes for movies I haven't seen. So if a movie you love and that might be extremely good is not on the list, chances are I haven't seen it yet.

As always feel free to comment and ask about anything after each post.

Alright then, lets get this show on the road. I present to you my Top 100 movies of all time: 100 - 96.

NR. 100:

ROPE (1948)

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, John Dal and Farley Granger.



Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense, a fact that is so perfectly illustrated in the movie Rope. The entire movie takes place in the apartment where the two murderers are having a dinner party with the body hidden in a chest that doubles as the buffet table and it is only a matter of time before suspicion sneaks in. You are not supposed to root for the murderers to get away with it, but because this is an Alfred Hitchcock movie, you can't help but do exactly that. Surely there must be such a thing as the perfect crime?



NR. 99:


CITIZEN KANE (1941)

Directed by: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton and Dorothy Comingore



Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

Citizen Kane is one of those films I never would have thought I would enjoy. Until I actually saw it that is. As a student of film I was, and still am, amazed by the innovation presented both in front and behind the camera. From cinematography to the screenplay, Citizen Kane is a masterpiece through and through.



NR: 98:

THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

Directed by: James Whale
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart and William Harrigan



A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

The invisible man is part of the classic Universal monster collection, sharing the ranks with Frankenstein, The Wolf-man, The Mummy and the Creature from the black lagoon. However, as good as some of them are none of them come close to the perfect insanity that is The invisible man. Claude Rains does a beautiful job of portraying a scientist gone mad and the effects are astounding for the times.




NR. 97:

REAR WINDOW (1954)

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Wendell Corey.



A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

What Rope managed with suspense, Rear Window does but with an even better story. Hitchcock manages to capture the paranoia and the helplessness of being stuck to a wheelchair in an apartment all day and all night perfectly. This all comes together due to James Stewart's superb acting coupled with Hitchcock's complete mastery of the screen.



NR. 96:

THE GODFATHER (1972)

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James Caan



The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100

I admit that The Godfather is a movie that took me a while to really like. Obviously it is a very mature film and younger audiences might feel the same as I did when younger. However, having seen it from time to time through the years I have started to realize the genius of the film. This is, not unlike Citizen Kane before it, a cinematic masterpiece. Everything from the acting to story structure is done with such painstakingly attention to detail that the end result is near perfect.



Well, there you have it: the first 5. Hope you enjoyed it and come back tomorrow for 95 - 91.

Rise of the Paper Penguin

Hello and welcome (back?) to The Paper Penguin, the blog all about pop-culture. I have been away for a long while, but you can't keep a good penguin down (even when made of poor quality paper). I will do my very best to keep this blog up and running and hopefully you will come back to check out my posts. My main focus will be reviews and looks at everything from TV and film to comic books and video games. But first of all I will focus on a pretty large project I've been wanting to do for some time now. My top 100 movies of all time. From December 1st I will post my picks every day until Christmas and I hope you will find it interesting and maybe a little amusing. Maybe it will make you think of your own top 100 list.

So please stay tuned and feel free to comment on any or all of my post. Tell me what you think about my top 100 picks and ask me questions if there is anything you wish to know.

The penguin is back. It's beak sharpened. Let's go.

of things to come

It’s nearly May which means blockbuster season is once again upon us, the time of the year when Hollywood releases their most expensive special effects ridden movies for us to feast upon. This year seems to possibly be one of the more diverse blockbuster seasons in years with for example only one super hero movie (X-men origins - Wolverine) hitting the screen this year. There is plenty to look forward to and there should be something for everyone. Starting off the season this year is X-men origins - Wolverine (April 29 - Australia, May 1st US) which sees Hugh Jackman return as the metal clawed Wolverine and how exactly he came to be. From trailers this promises to be a movie that will have X-men fans getting exactly what they want and still wanting more. Early reviews have been positive and even though a rough cut of the movie was leaked out on the internet a few weeks back should have people streaming into the cinema in no time at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCTDVNgNUeY

Just one day later (April 30) we get Daniel '007' Craig in the World War 2 drama Defiance. Though out in the U.S. a while ago and not technically part of the blockbuster lineup I thought it worth mentioning just because a) I live in Australia and b) it is a movie you should go watch if you are not the type to go for big special effects movies. Daniel Craig plays Tuvia Bielski who with his brothers protects over 1000 Jewish none combatants in the Belarussian forests, Russia. Based on a true story Defiance is reminiscent of such WW2 epics as Schindler's List and Piano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIO8OI0JP50

On the other side of the spectrum we find one of the three truly major epic movies this year, namely the STAR TREK (May 7) reboot by J.J. Abrams. Trekkies and Sci-fi enthusiasts in general cant help but marvel at the current trailers flooding the media waves. It has been a while since a grand science-fiction space epic has graced the silver screen and Star Trek seem to deliver just that. Now for the first time will we see how captain Kirk starts forming his grove in the captains chair and how the fameous crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise come together for the first time. Now it's the guys turn to get payback on their girfriends for Twilight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yrdEe95Hs0

If you are a mystery buff then 2009 offers something just up your mysterious little alley: Angels and Demons (May 14). This follow up to The Davinci Code once again sports Tom 'where have you been' Hanks as Robert Langdon trying to stop terrorists attacking the Vatican as a new pope is being selected and in so doing of course unravels an age old mystery that promises to rock the fundations of civilisation to its very core. Now there is a tagline for you and even though I personally did not like the movie adaptation of The Davince Code I am very excited and intrigued by Angels and Demons. Watch the trailer and be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASVeN-58HKk

Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman and Jeff Daniels all star in a movie you might not even have heard about up until now. State of play (May 28) is by definition not what you would call a blockbuster movie, but given its cast and release date it is worth mentioning. IMDB says it best:

"A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman's assistant falls in front of a subway - two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it's worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsxWeJngC-M

Next up is the second of the big three epics this "summer" - Terminator: Salvation (June 6). Where Terminator movies in the past have focused on Terminators going back in time to try and, well terminate, the future savior of humanity John Connor or his mother Sarah, Salvation brings us to the post apocalyptic future where humanity is at war with the machines and SkyNet. Christian 'get the f%@k off my set" Bale plays John Connor as he leads humanity in a war they seemingly have to chance of winning. As part 1 of a planned new Terminator trilogy, fans of the Terminator franchise have allot to look forward to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwby_vjg88

Just on the heels of Terminator comes another robot epic - Transformers 2 - Revenge of the fallen (June 25) I have no idea what this movie is about, but there will be big transforming robots fighting while humans get trapped in the middle. Not being a fan at all of the first Transformers it is hard to get excited over the new chapter, but then again the series has nowhere to go but up so fingers crossed. Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb2fUOW1ne4

Late last year Harry Potter fans were given the (for them) devastating news that the next film in the franchise Harry Potter and the half blood prince had been delayed until the summer season. Well the wait is almost over and Harry Potter...6? opens July 6. And if you are a big Harry Potter fan it might interest you to know that Hoyts are showing every Harry Potter film on the big screen starting with The Philosopher stone June 11 and every week until July 6. So go and enjoy the magic all over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96QRVfto7OM

Lastly we have G.I. Joe (August 6) which might prove that this years blockbuster season will end with a whimper and not a bang, ironically enough. Problem is this movie just looks bad, but have a look and judge for yourself.

Well, there is no trailer to be found (good sign there) so you might have to go find it yourself if you can be bothered. I sure can't.

Comics, collectibles and B.O.

I got up at 9AM, got dressed and tried to wake up. I was not at home, but rather at my friend Keith's house and if we were to get a ride to the train station we had to move now. I packed my belongings and we were soon on our way. It didn't take us long to get there and on the way we had met up with Shaun who was the only one of us who actually knew where we were going. We knew we where getting close as people
wearing colorful and strange attire became more and more frequent. And once we saw our first Stormtrooper of the day we knew we had arrived at Supernova.

For those of you who may not know about it, Supernova is one of two major Pop-culture conventions that grazes Australia each year (the other one being Armageddon, but we will get back to that one). It is a place for nerds of every size, type and walk of life to congregate in hopes of getting that missing on rare issue for the comic book collection or to catch a gimps of their favorite C-grade TV celebrity.

Now I don't mean to sound cynical or degrading towards such an event as the way I see it everyone benefits. We, the nerds, get the chance to indulge our secret (and for some people there...most people there not so secret) passions and I admit to always look forward to having a look around and see if I can't find something there that I can't find elsewhere.

But for a $25 entry fee I expect more then what Supernova this year could deliver, and it became clear that Supernova is the event that makes you long for the bigger and better Armageddon expo. The celebrities this time around were rather dull in my opinion, with only Hayden whatshername from Heroes (you know, that cheerleader) as the only one that caught my eye, but not even that was enough to make me actually go to the Q&A session with her (the fact that I hate Heroes may have something to do with that).

This is a much smaller expo then Armageddon and it suffers because of this. The store booths were predictable and the merchandise not anything to get excited over and as we all quickly realized after 25 minutes of walking around we had pretty much seen what we needed and gotten what we wanted.

Wrestling fans also got their predictable fix as every expo like this needs to have a wrestling ring for some reason. This is getting old fast (maybe just because I'm not a wrestling fan what so ever, I don't know) and I would be happy if at some point in the future these events would come up with some variation in their entertainment.

And what's with the B.O. in these places? It truly never fails. If there is a gathering of people with nerd tendencies then the lingering smell of B.O. quickly follows. Perhaps its the wrestling, the I-can-only-imagine-being-hot-as-hell cozplay costumes some of the people are walking around in or just the fact that 50% of the population in these places have long ago decided do forgo the entire deodorant revolution. Whatever the case might be, you don't want to stay in one place for more then five minutes unless you enjoy being light headed.

The day managed to drag on a bit longer as one of Keith's favorite animator...or something was there to sign autographs and we both proceeded to stand in line for an hour.

All in all I would call this one a rather big disappointment, but then again I might not be the target audience really. The really hard core Heroes fans and just hard core nerds in general seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, so maybe I'm just being picky. Maybe I'm just not the nerd I used to be...food for thought.